


Morning Tea

by Spaced_Out_Cadet



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Acceptance, F/M, Tea, Trust Issues, Xenophobia, tea makes everything better, the beginning of a beautiful friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-20 16:08:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17025828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spaced_Out_Cadet/pseuds/Spaced_Out_Cadet
Summary: Bumped over on Tumblr. In which Evfra bonds with an alien over breakfast beverages...sort of.





	Morning Tea

Evfra glared at the steaming mug of aromatic, herbal tea that sat upon is desk as if it had personally done him wrong. It had been the same strange routine every morning for the past month that had begun when he’d arrived in Resistance Headquarters early one morning to find said beverage awaiting him. Truthfully, he’d been confused at first. His steely, blue gaze had swept carefully over those present in the room as he tried to pick out the guilty party. One of the techs must have sensed his unspoken question as she’d pointed across the room, singling out the only non-angaran in their midst. The alien in question carried on with its duties, seemingly oblivious to the grievous injury they’d wrought upon his person with a simple gesture.

Evfra’s frown deepened as he thought back on it.

He’d been against such an arrangement from the get go but Moshae Sjefa had been insistent as had the requests from the Nexus and their Pathfinder for a more unified front against the Kett offensive. Though he could admit that the human Pathfinder Ryder was good at getting things done and that their war against the Kett had advanced by leaps and bounds since the arrival of the Milky Way species, he still didn’t trust them as far as he could see them. Peace and coexistence? They’d heard those sweet, sugared words before and he’d lost much as a result, more than anyone should ever lose in one lifetime. He was a changed man because of it.

Regardless, he’d found himself playing unwilling host to an Initiative Military Attaché. The supposed purpose was to make the coordinating of Resistance and Initiative forces easier and more efficient as well as providing a means to better share both intelligence and equipment. Although, the Nexus had been quick to clarify, they didn’t have a military, per se, although many of their so-called colonists did have a military background. It was quite convenient, Evfra always thought. A so-called peace mission chock full of highly trained soldiers and operatives and they wondered why he remained skeptical and suspicious of their motives. 

The human female that had shown up on his doorstep unwanted and uninvited was no different and, as he often caught himself doing, Evfra found himself glowering at the woman from across the room. 

She was a waif of a woman, at least by angaran standards, and not intimidating or threatening in the slightest. Evfra was certain she had been assigned to Aya with that in mind. The top of her head barely reached the height of his shoulders and she looked, at least to him, as if a strong breeze may be sufficient to topple her over. She had pale-colored hair that she kept tightly bound in a knot at the base of her neck and light blue eyes that made him nervous when they lingered on his person for too long for reasons he didn’t quite yet understand. She was quiet and professional. Poised, yet friendly…at least towards the other angara who sought out her company and she didn’t seem to mind simple curiosity or answering questions about her species that the Nexus info packets left out. 

Cassie, was her name. Cassie Fletcher. Lieutenant Cassie Fletcher, Evfra corrected himself, formerly of the human Alliance, now Initiative.  She’d had an exemplary military service record from what he’d been told and had been the recipient of several commendations. He begrudgingly admitted that she was good at her job which really shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise. The personnel file he’d received from the Nexus suggested she had an extensive background in combat preparation, tactical planning and multi-species personnel management.   

They’d mentioned nothing of her skill in tea-making.

Though he’d made it no secret that he was unhappy with her presence within Resistance Headquarters, or her peoples’ general presence in Aya, it didn’t seem to deter her in the slightest from cordially greeting him every morning with a bright smile as she plunked yet another piping hot cup down in front of him before hurrying off to attend to her own duties. He never drank a drop of it. Suspicion and pride wouldn’t allow him to. Instead, he’d glare at her as he shoved it aside where it would sit until it grew ice cold. She didn’t seem to take offense, though. She’d simply finish her own steamy, foul-smelling brew…something called coffee…before grabbing up her empty cup as well as his still-full, stone cold one and returning them to be cleaned.

Every. Single. Morning.

Despite so many pressing issues, Evfra found himself thinking more on the woman’s motivations than he should have been. It ate at him. On more than one occasion he’d found himself lying alone in bed at night after the day was done wondering over the strange morning ritual he’d become a part of. What could she possibly be getting out of this pointless, repetitive behavior? His initial anger over her audacity had eventually tempered to irritation. Irritation had given way to curiosity. Curiosity, in turn, had slowly transformed into something he couldn’t quite put a label on…not yet. He hadn’t allowed himself to feel as an angara should for so long that the closest he could come to naming his current state of being was confusion. He’d come to look forward to their bizarre daily exchange as much as he despised it.

As if she could feel the weight of his curious eyes upon her, Lieutenant Fletcher suddenly lifted her head and turned to look at him with a brow raised in question. “Is there something wrong, sir?”

“No,” Evfra snapped and quickly looked away. “Nothing is wrong.”

“Are you sure?” The woman’s voice carried a hint of concern. “You look…bothered.”

Evfra snorted.

She clarified, “More than usual, I mean.”

A long moment passed in silence as he kept his eyes glued to the updating casualty reports that scrolled continuously over his command console. It was still early and they were still the only two souls in the large room. It made the quiet seem that much more profound as he waited a heartbeat, then two, before suddenly demanding, “Why?”

“Sir?” Fletcher looked confused, “I-I’m sorry…why what?”

“Why do you insist on bringing me tea every morning when you know I’m not going to drink it?” He turned to look at her. “What is the purpose?”

“I, uh…” Fletcher shifted in her seat nervously under his steady gaze. “I guess I thought you looked like you needed it.”

Evfra looked at the human quizzically. “You thought I looked like I needed tea? You humans are strange creatures…”

“No, not the tea.” Fletcher blushed. “You look like…like you need someone to care. You’re always thinking of others. I mean, you spend all day in this room making life and death decisions, and maybe no one else can see it or wants to acknowledge it but I can tell that the responsibility weighs heavy on you. The tea was just…it was just something small I could do to let you know that there’s someone here thinking of you, too. But,” she offered, “If it’s making you uncomfortable I can stop.”

He couldn’t decide if her answer to his question was better or worse than what he had conjured up in his imagination. Evfra felt something twist inside of him that was as frightening as it was pleasant. No,” he quickly denied. “I’m not uncomfortable.”       

Fletcher looked less than convinced. “Are you sure?”

“I said I wasn’t, didn’t I?” Evfra blinked and quickly schooled his features into something less…revealing. With a hand that was only slightly trembling, he reached for the mug and carefully brought the hot liquid to his mouth. He told himself that he only meant to prove her wrong, unwilling to admit there may be more to it. He took a moment breathe in and savor the rich aroma before tentatively taking the first sip. A contented hum slipped from him before he could contain it.

“It’s from Earth.” The corners of Fletcher’s mouth tilted up into an uncertain smile. “Do you like it?”

“It’s…better than I thought it would be,” Evfra confessed. Deep down, he knew he was admitting to more than just an appreciation of the quality of her beverage making ability but that wasn’t something that he wanted to dwell on right now. Instead, he took another sip and quietly rumbled, “Thank you…for the tea.”

“You’re very welcome.” Her smile blossomed into something more genuine and, dare he say, hopeful. 

They held each other’s gaze for a long moment. Something unspoken and unacknowledged seemed to pass between them and Evfra took note of the strange flush that seemed to creep up the woman’s neck and settle in her cheeks before she cleared her throat and bashfully turned away from him to return to her duties. He found himself staring at her back once again and, as he continued to sip at his cooling tea, he absently wondered how she liked her coffee.

**Author's Note:**

> Evfra needs more love. Just doing my part :)


End file.
